1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to electrical watthour meters and, specifically, to watthour meter mounting enclosures or socket adapters.
2. Description of the Art
Electrical power is supplied to an individual site or service by external electrical power line conductors located above or below ground. In a conventional arrangement, electrical power line conductors are connected to terminals in a watthour meter socket mounted on a building wall. Electrical load conductors are connected to another set of terminals in the meter socket and extend to the electrical distribution network in the building. A watthour meter is connected to both pairs of terminals in the meter socket to measure the electric power drawn through the load conductors.
Due to the current trend toward the use of plug-in watthour meters, A to S type socket adapters have been devised which convert A-base type bottom connected watthour meter sockets to receive plug-in watthour meters. Another type of socket adapter has been devised which allows the installation of other devices between the watthour meter socket and a plug-in watthour meter.
Such socket adapters employ a generally annular base having a shell joined thereto and extending outward from one side of the base. Jaw contacts are mounted in the shell and base. Each jaw contact has a female jaw portion disposed interiorly within the shell and a male blade terminal connected to the female jaw portion and extending outward through the base for plug-in connection to the terminals in the meter socket housing.
In previous watthour meter socket adapters, the jaw contacts were of two different constructions. In one construction, the jaw contacts have a folded over design formed of a base wall fixedly mounted by a fastener to the shell of the socket adapter and two spaced sidewalls extending therefrom. The outer ends of the sidewalls are folded over inwardly between the sidewalls and terminate in parallel end flanges which slidably receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter. A blade terminal is usually fixedly connected to the base wall of the jaw contact for connection to jaw contact in a meter socket.
In the second construction, the jaw contacts are formed of a generally planar terminal having opposed first and second ends. An angularly bent spring clip is riveted at one end to an intermediate portion of the terminal and extends to a contact edge disposed in separable engagement with the first end of the terminal to form a jaw for receiving the blade terminal of a watthour meter. The spring clip forcibly biases the watthour meter terminal into secure electrical engagement with the terminal. The second end of the blade terminal extends exteriorly from the base of the watthour meter socket adapter for releasable engagement in a socket jaw contact. A cotter pin is inserted through an intermediate aperture in the terminal to fixedly mount the terminal and jaw contact in position in the watthour meter socket adapter.
In certain applications, such as automatic metering, surge suppression, etc., it is necessary to mount one or more circuit boards in the socket adapter housing. Such circuit boards must be mounted in a manner so as not to interfere with the slide-in connection of the meter blade terminals with the jaw contacts in the socket adapter. In order to mount such circuit boards in prior socket adapters, modifications to the socket adapter housing were typically necessary.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,023,747 and 5,572,396 disclose circuit boards mounted in close proximity to or directly on the base wall of a watthour meter socket adapter. The circuit boards have planar electrically conductive extensions with a slot therein which overlays an aperture in the base wall and receives a blade terminal or contact in a watthour meter socket adapter to electrically connect the contact and the electrical elements carried on the circuit board. While the circuit boards shown in these patents do not necessarily require modification to the socket adapter housing, the planar extensions which receive the jaw contact therethrough consume a considerable amount of space within the socket adapter housing. This poses a problem due to the limited amount of available space within a conventional socket adapter housing and limits the overall size and, therefore, the amount of circuitry that can be mounted on a circuit board.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a watthour meter socket adapter which includes means for conveniently mounting one or more circuit boards in the housing in a non-interfering position with respect to the jaw blades of the socket adapter. It would also be desirable to provide a watthour meter socket adapter which includes means for mounting one or more circuit boards in the socket adapter housing in engagement with a safety shield mounted in the socket adapter housing. It would also be desirable to provide a watthour meter socket adapter which includes a number of separate circuit board supports which may be employed to mount one or more circuit boards in a number of different positions within the socket adapter housing. It would also be desirable to provide a unique circuit board for use in a watthour meter socket adapter which is capable of receiving an external blade terminal. It would also be desirable to provide a circuit board construction for use in a watthour meter socket adapter which enables the circuit board to automatically and, specifically, the circuit or components on the circuit board make an electrical connection to one of the contacts mounted within the socket adapter.
The present invention is a watthour meter socket adapter having unique means for mounting one or more auxiliary components, like circuit boards, in a non-interfering position with respect to the jaw blades or contacts of the socket adapter.
According to the present invention, a support is carried on the housing.
In one aspect of the invention, a plurality of posts are mounted on the base of the socket adapter housing and support a circuit board in an orientation generally parallel to the base of the socket adapter housing.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the support is in the form of aligned pairs of tubular support posts carried on the base and projecting outward therefrom for receiving a circuit board in a generally perpendicular position relative to the base.
In another aspect, an end support member is disposed adjacent to each pair of support posts and includes an outer projecting lip on an inclined end to snap mount the circuit board in the housing.
In another aspect, one of the pins of each pair of pins is formed with a shorter height relative to the base wall for supporting a circuit board in conjunction with the other pin of each pair as well as the end support pin in a generally parallel orientation with respect to the base.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the support is in the formed of aligned pairs of tubular support posts carried on the base and projecting outward from the base. Each support has a sidewall discontinuity opening to a through bore extending through the support or post. The discontinuity and open end of the through bore enable the circuit board to be inserted between aligned pairs of supports in a generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the base wall of the socket adapter housing. The open end of the through bore also enables fasteners to be inserted through aligned apertures in a circuit board oriented generally parallel to the base wall of the socket adapter housing, and into the through bore in the supports for securely fixing a circuit board in a generally parallel position with respect to the base wall.
In the various embodiments of the present invention, one or more circuit boards can be easily mounted in the housing of a watthour meter socket adapter housing. The circuit board supports can be positioned to support the circuit boards exteriorly of a safety shield in the space between the shield and the adjacent sidewall of the housing. Alternately, the circuit board supports may be employed without a shield and positioned at various locations around the periphery of the sidewall of the housing and/or on the base wall or on the base wall between the socket adapter jaw contacts for supporting one more circuit boards in various orientations about the jaw blades without interfering with the function of the jaw blades in releasably receiving blade terminals of a watthour meter.
The present invention also provides a unique snap-in connection of a circuit board in a socket adapter housing thereby eliminating the need for separate mechanical fasteners and manufacturing/assembling operations necessary to securely fasten the circuit board to the base wall of the socket adapter as in prior socket adapters.